Women's fiction writer: strong characters, pacey plots, love stories, mystery, travel - including the overland trail to India - and historical fiction (as Janet MacLeod Trotter). Jan runs an online reading group called bookgroupies. This site includes diary entries and photos from her experiences on the hippy trail in the 1970s. Enjoy the nostalgia!

Welcome from Jan

Hi there! This blog is for those who love both books and travel. I'm starting by travelling back in time to the 1970s and the overland trail to India which I took as an 18 year old. Have a look at my daily diary entries and photos. Some of these places are impossible to visit at the moment, but I can give you a flavour of what they were like in the golden age of the hippy trail.

Friday, 19 February 2010

[Day 12 stranded in Delhi but things are looking up: contact is made with home, a ticket is on its way and I bump into 2 old friends from the overland trip, Canadians Shirley and Bill. Once again the overland drivers of Connaught Place treat me as one of the fraternity and John keeps me fed and watered.]

Bill and Shirley, fellow Swaggies from Canada, 1976

MONDAY 10TH JANUARY, 1977

" Call came through at 7.0. Got Dad and told him to buy ticket, said Mum would buy it in Edinburgh. Relief! Had breakfast with John. Dad called again! Said ticket would be to Newcastle plus £25 to cover costs. Had to disengage from blatant proposals of Bali! Even after 6 years in Germany he still has warped view of western women.

Went to B.A and told them good news. Sat on bus again. Nice co-driver Bob appeared - amusing. Margaret came with me to see if P.T.A through. No! Guess who saw crossing road - Shirl and Bill!! [fellow Swaggies from bus trip] Ran after them - big welcome. Went to Palace Heights were they were staying and sat on terrace waiting for them with various of the patrons - nice bunch - good looking too! Saw S & B's room - really nice and big, clean with beds, tables, phone, toilet etc for less than YMCA. Finished their Haig with them!

Got back - walked across park in Connaught Circus - huge fountains spraying me, Indian music - all rather festive. John took me out to Embassy Restaurant for a meal - had Tandoori Chicken - nice. Went for drink at Imperial - "the local"!"

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About Me

I belong to a big family and a big clan - the MacLeods. At 18 I climbed on a bus going to Kathmandu. When I eventually got home I went to Edinburgh University to do Social Anthropology and study student life. I have been a published writer since the mid 1980s. (19 novels including historical sagas, mysteries and a childhood memoirs called Beatles and Chiefs, many short stories and articles. Have edited Clan MacLeod Magazine and had a column in the Newcastle Journal).Check out my historical novels (Amazon top sellers and also best-sellers in France, Russia and Italy),childhood memoir and mystery novels (one about the hippy trail) at: www.janetmacleodtrotter.com